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Our Gang
Production Notes Length: Two Reel Producer: Hal Roach Director: Fred Newmeyer (original version), Robert F. McGowan, Charles Parrot (supervisor) Photography: Unrevealed Editor: Thomas J. Crizer (presumed) Titles: H. M. Walker, Tom McNamara (illustrator) Writer: Hal Roach, Tom McNamara, Robert F. McGowan, Thomas J. Crizer (presumed), Leo McCarey (presumed) Released: November 5, 1922 Studio: Pathe Exchange Main Cast * Anna Mae Bilson - Mary Jane * Ernie Morrison - Booker T. Bacon * Jackie Condon - Roosevelt Pershing Smith * John Hatton - Mortimer Melrose * Mickey Daniels (actor) * Monty O'Grady (unconfirmed) * Peggy Cartwright (actress) (unconfirmed) * Weston Doty (unconfirmed) * Winston Doty (unconfirmed) Supporting Cast * Charley Young - Customer * Helen Gilmore - Emil's Wife * Mark Jones - Emil * Wallace Howe - Merchant The Short Plot: In the first part of the film, we see a puppy scared away by a cat and her kittens. The puppy then tries to nurse on the fingers of some gloves hanging nearby. After realizing that Mary Jane has been cleaning the gloves with gasoline, the puppy runs inside the house to wash the taste out of his mouth. The puppy manages to drink an entire fishbowl full of water, leaving a lone goldfish with no water. The goldfish hops out of the bowl and slithers around the ground until he jumps through the air and bites the puppy on the tail. The puppy howls in pain and races off to a nearby bridge over a small creek, where it manages to release the fish into new water. While walking down the street, Jimmy tries to lose his pesky younger brother Roosevelt Pershing Smith by offering him a sucker. Roosevelt accepts the candy, but continues to follow Jimmy wherever he goes. They happen upon Mary Jane, who is still washing her gloves in gasoline. Jimmy introduces himself and Mary Jane appears unimpressed. Roosevelt laughs at Jimmy's attempt to talk to Mary Jane. So Jimmy takes the half-eaten sucker away from Roosevelt and offers it to Mary Jane. Mary Jane seems somewhat interested, until Rooosevelt tries to wrangle away the candy from Jimmy. Upon seeing the struggle between Jimmy and Roosevelt, Mary Jane rejects the candy offer. Jimmy angrily throws the sucker into a patch of mud. Roosevelt dives face first into the mud, retrieves his sucker and puts in back in his mouth. Jimmy decides to take more desperate measures to win Mary Jane's heart by staging a rescue of her doll, Minerva, which he allows a nearby dog to drop into a pond. Mary Jane appreciates Jimmy's "heroic" efforts and decides to talk a stroll with Jimmy, with Roosevelt in tow. However, when walking hand-in-hand, she is smitten by Mortimer Melrose in his Little Lord Fauntleroy suit and dumps Jimmy. His little brother Roosevelt, trailing behind them, advises Jimmy, who is still muddy from jumping in the pond, to wash up. Meanwhile, the gang comes to get Booker T., but his mother has hung literally all his clothes on a clothesline to dry, forcing him to pace the backyard in a barrel. When the gang arrives, he coaxes Dinah to get a dress from a nearby line, and then Booker T. can leave with the gang. They confront Mortimer after seeing him steal Mary Jane away, with Mickey luring him into a yard where the rest of the gang closes the gate. However, Mortimer beats them all up and impresses them so much they invite him to join the gang. Wanting to play bank robbers, Mortimer changes clothes with Booker T. and some other gang members and lets Booker T. cut his curls off. Mortimer's mother comes looking for him, accidentally mistakes Booker T. (now wearing Mortimer's clothes) for her son, then sees Mortimer's new haircut and clothing and faints. Mortimer finds Mary Jane sitting next to his chair and she is repulsed by his now tattered look. Seeing Jimmy stroll around the corner in a neat suit, hat and cane, she leaves with Jimmy. Booker T. consoles Mortimer by telling him that all women can't be trusted and they shake hands. Mary Jane's widowed mother keeps and runs the village store, but she faces not being able to pay her rent after a rival merchant opens a shop across the street. Using questionable methods, her rival lures her customers away from her, and the gang decides to lend a hand. They get the idea to smear a dog's (Bonzo) face with a cream pie to make him appear mad with rabies and plant him at the rival's store entrance. Customers faint, are caught in a wheelchair and wheeled to Mary Jane's mother's store. A mule kicks packages, and the drunk Emil, to the desired addresses. With all the pet animals in town, they stage such a show that the widow's business is restored, and her competitor seeks his fortune in a more peaceful town." Quotes: * "You better wash up!" - Roosevelt Pershing Smith * "Wimmin is all alike _ Y' can't trust 'em." - Booker T. Bacon * "Let's get customers! We can't see Mary Jane starve - she ain't any too fat now." - Booker T. Bacon * "Ah c'm on, 'Snowy!' We'll getcha some clothes." - Mickey * "How c'd I be a bank robber _ with these clothes an' curls?" - Mortimer Melrose * "I want my money or out you go _ an' you can both starve." - Mr. Jacobson Notes/Trivia: * This short was originally filmed in January of 1922 and directed by Fred Newmeyer. However, Hal Roach was unhappy with this version and recruited Robert F. McGowan to reshoot the film. So far, only footage from the second version of this film exists, while footage from the original is said to be lost. * No complete negatives or prints of this short are known to exist. Currently, about three quarters of this film is known to exist. * This is the first appearance for Ernie Morrison, Jackie Condon and Mickey Daniels. They would be the only ones to continue significantly further into the series. * The idea of the Rascals luring customers away from a rival merchant was later used in The Ol' Gray Hoss and The Lucky Corner. The idea of the kids making a dog look as though he is rabid was later used in Your Own Back Yard and Love My Dog. * Non-original title cards refer to Mary Jane as "Flora" and her mother as "Mrs. Nickol," and the Merchant as "Mr. Jacobson." * This is the first film produced, but the third one to be shown to the public, with One Terrible Day and Fire Fighters being released first. Sequence * Previous Short: * Next Short: Fire Fighters ---- Category: Silent Film Category:Adult-Involved Shorts Category: 1922